Smart Business Magazine, May 2019

INVESTORS DEALMAKERS ENTREPRENEURS A s we near the midway point of 2019 its still a good time to be a dealmaker Private equity firms still have well over 1 billion ready to invest and hardly a day goes by without some type of PE or VC deal getting done On the strategic acquisition front sellers still have the advantage over buyers But the tide is shifting a bit as more opportunities come available for the savvy business owner looking to accelerate his or her growth strategy What hasnt changed and what continues to fuel the passion and competitive spirit of dealmakers everywhere is the opportunity to identify a deal opportunity and then get it done no matter the challenges they face along the way Take Charu Ramanathan who co founded CardioInsight sold the company for more than 90 million and then got to work building vitalxchange The key thing I grew up with particularly from my parents was the importance of being original and trying to find your own solutions says Ramanathan Stop whining about problems If there is a problem you need to figure out how to solve it on your own and in your own way This month hundreds of dealmakers will congregate in downtown Cleveland for ASPIRE 2019 the largest local conference for investors dealmakers and entrepreneurs in the region In the pages ahead you can learn more about Ramanathans vigor about JumpStarts Cathy Belk and her efforts to help early stage entrepreneurs and about Aaron Grossmans quest to use M A to become a 1 billion business Read these and more stories to understand how Clevelands dealmaking community continues to thrive THE PACE OF M A ACTIVITY IS SHOWING NO SIGNS OF SLOWING A PASSION TO DEAL May 2019 Smart Business Cleveland 47

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